As is known, a hollow glassware production line comprises a plurality of sections (normally six to twelve) for simultaneously producing the same or different ware; and each line comprises a large number of moving members (some shared by all the sections, and others forming part of a specific section) which are each activated by an electric or pneumatic actuator and must therefore be synchronized with one another. Operation of the moving members of each line is therefore controlled on the basis of a production plan (or so-called “recipe”) which depends on the type of ware being produced, the type of process employed by each section, and the specific section in which the ware is produced.
More specifically, for each product type, the characteristics of the line (e.g. structure, mechanism characteristics and distances, event sequence and timing) must be known in detail and related to the specific product.
At present, when setting up a new line, reconfiguring an existing line, or making production changeovers, all the line operating data is entered and memorized in a new recipe; and any alteration, even to only one of the above production parameters (e.g. the physical connection between a control system output and a specific actuator, or changeover in production), means resetting the entire recipe. Moreover, an existing recipe for one line cannot be used for a new one.
Drawing up a new recipe each time therefore involves considerable cost, as well as considerable downtime in the case of emergency intervention on a working line.
To monitor the operation, any emergency stops and restarting of each line, a supervisor, even remote, has recently been proposed to simplify line data loading, operation monitoring, and emergency intervention by the operator.